Clara’s Verdict
The Tom Gates series by Liz Pichon is one of those children’s publishing phenomena that adults routinely underestimate right up until they listen alongside a ten-year-old and find themselves grinning. Biscuits, Bands and Very Big Plans is the fourteenth instalment, which ought by rights to be showing signs of fatigue. It is not. Tom is still Tom – distracted, creative, biscuit-obsessed, fundamentally optimistic, possessed of an imagination that gets him into trouble in inventive new ways each book – his band DogZombies are still magnificently inept in the best possible way, and his ongoing cold war with older sister Delia is still an exquisitely calibrated portrait of sibling warfare. Russell Tovey narrates with enormous energy and a genuine ear for the book’s comedic timing. At under two hours, this is ideal for younger listeners, for car journeys, or as a generous bedtime audiobook for the eight-to-twelve age group.
About the Audiobook
Tom Gates has three missions in this instalment: write a new hit song with DogZombies (a project requiring optimism that has historically not been rewarded), get a peek at Delia’s famously secret diary (an ambition that has equal parts comedy and genuine sibling curiosity), and complete his doodle-a-day mission. None of these are going entirely to plan, which is, of course, precisely the point. Pichon’s particular genius is her ability to maintain a sense of cheerful momentum even when everything is going sideways, and her understanding that children aged eight to twelve find the texture of ordinary school and family life every bit as interesting as adventure plots, provided it is rendered with sufficient wit and specificity.
The book reflects the doodle-heavy, visually playful format of the print editions – Tom thinks in drawings as much as words – and while some of that visual humour necessarily loses something in audio form, Tovey’s performance compensates with considerable invention. Pichon is a serious multiple award winner: the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Red House Children’s Book Award, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Blue Peter Best Story Book Award. The quality in this series is not accidental. Published by Bolinda Publishing, May 2018.
The Narration
Russell Tovey brings considerable theatrical experience and real enthusiasm to the narration. He has a natural flair for comic timing and an ability to voice the peripheral characters – Delia’s Gothic severity, Tom’s enthusiastic and occasionally oblivious parents, various hapless teachers – without losing the essential warmth of Tom’s first-person perspective. He sounds like someone genuinely enjoying the material, which matters enormously in children’s audio: children are very good at detecting the difference. At under two hours, there is no time to flag, and Tovey never does.
What Readers Say
The audiobook holds a 4.7 out of 5 from 3 UK reviews – a small sample, but consistently enthusiastic. “Great book – didn’t realise there were so many titles in this collection, so it will keep my son going for a while,” wrote one parent, capturing precisely what the Tom Gates series offers: a reliable, deep seam of cheerful, quality children’s entertainment across fourteen books and counting. Another purchased it as a Christmas gift for a ten-year-old great-niece who “loves Tom Gates books.” A third parent noted their daughter “loved it that much that she never seemed to put it down much until it was finished.” For a children’s audiobook, that last detail is the most meaningful recommendation possible.
Pichon’s books are notable in the children’s market for their visual integration – Tom thinks in doodles, and the print editions are as much illustrated as written. The audio editions necessarily sacrifice this dimension, but Tovey’s performance compensates by giving full voice to the wordplay and comic situations that work independently of the visual material. Parents who listen alongside children will find themselves chuckling too, which is precisely what the best children’s audio should achieve.
Who Should Listen?
This is ideal for children aged approximately eight to twelve, particularly those who are already fans of the Tom Gates books in print but may not have discovered the audio versions. It is also a fine introduction to the series for children who respond better to listening than reading. Parents looking for a reliable, funny, undemanding listen for long car journeys, school runs or pre-sleep listening will not go wrong here: the series is consistent, quality-controlled and entirely inoffensive. The series pairs naturally with other UK children’s audio comedy – David Walliams narrated by himself, David Baddiel’s football stories or similar light-touch British humour. Listen to Biscuits, Bands and Very Big Plans on Audible UK – book 14 in the beloved Tom Gates series.
